North-West pair’s heavy whitebait fines

Two North-West whitebait poachers have been hit with heavy penalties for whitebait-related offences.

Whitebait

Circular Head men Leslie John Lambert and Roger James Lambert were fined a combined $22,660 at the Smithton Magistrates Court on June 7.

They were sentenced on 43 counts relating to the taking of whitebait and offences against officers, the Inland Fisheries Service said.

They had previously pleaded guilty.

Poaching and the illegal sale of whitebait is an ongoing threat to a long-term recovery plan for the recreational whitebait fishery. - Inland Fisheries

Leslie Lambert received $11,600 worth of fines and special penalties.

Roger Lambert received fines and special penalties of $11,060, plus a 21-day suspended jail term.

Inland Fisheries said the previous biggest fine was $11,560 in 2011, when Peter Warren Lambert was convicted for possessing 62 kilograms of whitebait without a licence.

It said the recent offences were at Deep Creek, near Smithton, and took place on a number of occasions.

Inland Fisheries said Deep Creek was closed to the taking of whitebait at all times.

“These penalties should serve as a warning to anyone choosing to disregard the strict regulations around the taking of whitebait,” it said.

“Poaching and the illegal sale of whitebait is an ongoing threat to a long-term recovery plan for the recreational whitebait fishery.”

IFS compliance and operations manager Stephen Hepworth said: “The management of the whitebait fishery is of the utmost concern to the Inland Fisheries Service, and illegal poaching activities have the potential to seriously jeopardise the ongoing sustainability of the fishery.”

”The use of strict bag limits, the rotational closure of some waters, limits on fishing gear and a limited season opening are all tools used to protect the sustainability of the fishery.

“Robust penalties for offenders also act as a deterrent, with a combination of fines and special penalties of $157 per kilogram applying to whitebait illegally taken or possessed.”

A Tasmanian commercial whitebait fishery was closed in 1974, according to Inland Fisheries.

It said illegal fishing had put persistent pressure on the fishery since then.

A trial recreational whitebait fishing season in 1990 led to the current recreational fishery.